Master of Mathematics (Computer Science)

The basic requirements for the thesis option are 4 one-term Computer Science graduate courses and a thesis.

Courses

• 600 level - maximum one
• 800 level - required minimum of one
• At least 3 courses must be above the 600 level
• At least 3 courses must be CS courses
• No more than 2 courses in a single area (see Areas Table).
• Remedial courses do not count towards the course requirement

• To maintain progress, a student must earn credit in a minimum of 2 courses each term until the course requirements are completed. A request to waive this requirement must be made in writing to the Director of Graduate Studies by the student's supervisor.

Supervision

• A student must arrange supervision with a faculty member in the School by the end of the first term, and have agreed with the proposed supervisor on the general area of the proposed research. An Agreement to Supervise form must be submitted to the CS Graduate Office no later than the beginning of the second term.

Thesis

• In consultation with the supervisor, the student must select a research topic for the thesis by the end of the third term. Two readers for the thesis, in addition to the supervisor, must also be chosen. The mutual agreement of the student, supervisor, and readers must be confirmed in writing with the submission of the Agreement to Read the MMath Thesis form to the CS Graduate Office when the thesis is ready to be read by the readers. The agreement must explicitly state the topic of the thesis, and the expected completion date of the thesis. The supervisor and readers are normally members of the School of Computer Science, and normally at least one must be a regular faculty member of the School of Computer Science. The majority of the thesis committee must be drawn from CS faculty. The readers must be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies.
• The thesis requirement requires directed research or scholarly work, and writing a thesis embodying the results. The thesis should be equivalent to four one-term courses in effort required.
• A copy of the thesis must be submitted for display to the Mathematics Graduate Office (MGO) at the time the thesis is distributed to the readers. The thesis should be on display at least 3 weeks before the seminar.
• The results of the thesis research must be presented at a publicly-announced seminar (in the same manner as a School seminar).
• The thesis must be approved by the supervisor and two readers. Credit for the Master's Thesis is assigned when the supervisor returns the signed MMath Thesis Acceptance form and a copy of the seminar announcement to the Director of Graduate Studies.
• When all degree requirements have been met, the student submits an electronic copy of the accepted thesis, in the format prescribed in the official University of Waterloo Thesis Regulations and Guide, to UWSPace for formatting review. When approved, this copy will be accepted as the official thesis deposit. The student should advise the CS Graduate Office if the supervisor requires a bound copy of the thesis and this will be arranged.

Note, it is not possible to be admitted directly to the MMath Research Paper option. Students currently in the MMath Thesis or Coursework option may be able to transfer to the MMath Research Paper option with the support of their/a supervisor(s).

The Master's research paper requires the completion of 7 one-term courses and a research paper.

Courses

• 7 one-term graduate courses plus a research paper are required, not including required remedial courses. At least 4 courses must be above the 600 series, including a minimum of 2 courses in the 800 series. A student may not have more than 3 of the required 7 courses (other than the research paper) used to meet the degree requirements in a single area (see Areas Table).
• A student must earn credit in a minimum of 2 courses each term until the requirements are completed, including the research paper. A request to waive this requirement must be made in writing to the Director of Graduate Studies, by the student's supervisor. Students are encouraged to take 3 courses each term. If no remedial courses are required, the student should complete within 4 terms.

Research Paper

• The student should be working on the Master's Research Paper by the 3rd or 4th term of registration, or earlier at the student's discretion. Work on the research paper should be equivalent to a one-term course. The research paper must be read and approved by the student's supervisor and one reader. The supervisor and reader are normally members of the School of Computer Science, and normally at least one of them is a regular faculty member in the School of Computer Science.
• Students must present their research paper or a related study in an appropriate seminar or class. The presentation should be publicly announced (in the same manner as a School seminar).
• When all requirements have been met, the student must present one unbound copy of the research paper to the School.

The Master's Research Paper requirement is met and credit assigned when the supervisor returns the MMath Essay Acceptance form and a copy of the presentation announcement to the Director of Graduate Studies.

The basic requirements for the coursework option are 8 one-term courses, in addition to any remedial work. The following details the requirements.

• 8 one-term graduate courses are required. Remedial courses cannot be counted towards this number. At least 5 courses must be above the 600 series, including a minimum of 2 courses in the 800 series. A student may not have more than 4 of the eight courses used to meet the degree requirements in a single area (see Areas Table).
• Students can enroll in the coursework option on either a full-time or part-time basis. The full-time program is a one-year program. The part-time MMath coursework program is intended for completion in approximately 3 years, taking one course per term.
• Students enrolling in the coursework option are not guaranteed financial support. However, some TA assignments may be available on a term by term basis.

FAQ for coursework students.